Reusable wax candle holder and methods

ABSTRACT

A wax candle including a candle holder having a cylindrical shape. The candle holder includes an aperture, top and inside surface and base. The aperture extends through the entire thickness of the base. The inside surface and base defining an inner space. A ridge is formed around the top surface and extends into the inner space of the candle holder. An inner liner is disposed in the inner space below the ridge and is configured to tightly fit against the inside surface of the candle holder. The inner liner includes a nodule sized to fit within the aperture to define a button.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

Not applicable.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. The Field of the Invention

The present disclosure generally relates to candle holders for waxcandles and, more particularly, to reusable wax candle holder designedfor multiple uses.

2. The Relevant Technology

A scented candle has an ignitable wick embedded in wax. The candleilluminates and releases fragrances into a room when lit. A flame isused to light the wick and burn the candle, which melts and vaporizes asmall amount of the wax. Dyes and fragrances can be mixed in with thewax for varying aesthetic appeal, and for releasing seasonal,therapeutic and pleasing scents. Glass jars are typically used as acandle holder for scented candles.

As the wax melts, the candle burns the vaporized wax as fuel and thevolume of wax in the candle holder decreases. A portion of the wick thatis not emitting the vaporized wax is consumed in the flame. The lengthof the wick decreases with the burn to an exposed portion where thevaporized wax is being burned. After the wax is burned to the bottom ofthe candle holder or the scent is no longer enjoyed, the glass jars arethrown away. The jars are typically thrown away after a single use.

The liquid wax in the jar is hot and can cause skin burns. A candlesnuffer is generally used to avoid being burned or from having hot waxsplash out of the jar while blowing out the flame. A candle snuffer canbe a small metal cup on the end of a long handle. The snuffer is placedover the flame on the wick to cut off the oxygen supply to the flame.

Glass jars can crack by thermal shock from the candle flame. Inparticular, when the candle burns down to the end of the wick, the heatfrom the flame may be hot enough to crack the glass.

The subject matter claimed herein is not limited to embodiments thatsolve any disadvantages or that operate only in environments such asthose described above. Rather, this background is only provided toillustrate one exemplary technology area where some embodimentsdescribed herein may be practiced.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

There is a large amount of waste generated each day from used candlejars. In one aspect of the invention, a wax candle includes a candleholder having a cylindrical shape. The candle holder includes anaperture, top and inside surface and base. The aperture extends throughthe entire thickness of the base. The inside surface and base definingan inner space. A ridge is formed around the top surface and extendsinto the inner space of the candle holder. An inner liner is disposed inthe inner space below the ridge and is configured to tightly fit againstthe inside surface of the candle holder. The inner liner includes anodule sized to fit within the aperture to define a button.

In the present invention, the candle holder, or glass jar, includes aliner to help release the wax from the candle holder. The liner may bemade from a nonstick and heat resistant material, such as silicon. Withthe liner placed in the candle holder, the wax residue is easilyremoved. A new wax block can be inserted into the candle holder.

This summary is provided to introduce a selection of concepts in asimplified form that are further described below in the DetailedDescription. This summary is not intended to identify key features oressential features of the claimed subject matter, nor is it intended tobe used as an aid in determining the scope of the claimed subjectmatter.

Additional features and advantages will be set forth in the descriptionwhich follows, and in part will be obvious from the description, or maybe learned by the practice of the teachings herein. Features andadvantages of the invention may be realized and obtained by means of theinstruments and combinations particularly pointed out in the appendedclaims. Features of the present invention will become more fullyapparent from the following description and appended claims, or may belearned by the practice of the invention as set forth hereinafter.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Various embodiments of the present invention will now be discussed withreference to the appended drawings. It is appreciated that thesedrawings depict only typical embodiments of the invention and aretherefore not to be considered limiting of its scope.

The Figures illustrate the reusable jar for scented candles inaccordance with the various embodiments of the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE VARIOUS EMBODIMENTS

The present systems and methods include various embodiments of reusablecandle holder for a wax candle. It is labor intensive to clean and reusejars after use of the wax candle. The jars are cleaned by placing theused candle jar, with leftover wax residue, in a pot of boiling water.Once the wax melts, the user must take a paper napkin or towel and wipethe inside of the jar. In another method, the candle jar can be placedin a freezer to harden the wax. Once the wax freezes, the user can takea butter knife and chip off the frozen wax.

In the present invention, the candle holders are designed to be used ina much safer way. The candle holder can have a cylindrical shape withtop and inside surfaces and a base. The base can include an aperturethat extends through the thickness of the base. The inside surface ofthe candle holder and the base defines an inner space.

The candle holder or jar includes an inner liner made from a materialsuch as silicon. The aperture in the base of the candle holder isconfigured to expose a portion of the inner liner at the bottom. Theexposed inner liner in the bottom of the candle holder that extendsthrough the aperture defines a button. The user can press the button torelease the tension between the walls and the remaining wax residue orwax block to discharge the hardened wax.

The inner liner can be adhered to the walls of the glass jar so that iscannot be removed. In another aspect of the invention, the inner lineris not adhered to the walls but is designed to have a tight fit withinthe jar so as to not remove the inner liner when the button is pushedthrough the aperture. The inner liner does not need to come out and maybe fixed inside during the candle replacement process. The jar may alsoinclude a ridge at the top rim to hold in the inner liner. The ridge maybe sized to extend within the inner space of the jar about the samedistance as the thickness of the inner liner.

In one aspect of the invention, the inner liner may have a conical shapeouter surface to match the inside wall of the candle holder. The insideof the inner liner can have a tapered conical shape that tapers from athin wall at the top to a thicker wall at the bottom to enhance the easeof removing a wax block. The inner liner provides a non-stick surface toallow the wax, in liquid, solid or semi-solid form to be removed orreplaced from the candle holder at any stage of use, whether at thebeginning, middle or end of the use. Preferably, the used wax is removedin a solid state to prevent possible burns to the user. The inner linercan have a nodule at the bottom surface that is configured to fit withinat least a portion of the aperture of the candle holder and define abutton. The nodule can extend down into the aperture a distance thatwill allow the user to access the button. The distance may be a portionor the entire distance of the thickness of the aperture. The scentedcandle wax is replaced by pushing the button on the bottom of the candleholder to remove the old wax and placing a new candle refill inside thecandle holder. The new candle can be a wax block that is sized to fitwithin the inner liner. The new candle is placed in the candle holderand may be used until spent, where the wax is discharged and replacedagain. The remaining wax residue or remaining wax block can be replacedat any time.

In another aspect of the invention, the inner liner may include a wellat the bottom. The extra thickness at the aperture provides additionalvolume in the wax to assist with the release of the remaining wax. Theinner liner may also include a hollow ring around the aperture toprovide flexibility at the point of release and ease of pushing thebutton. The wax block may also include a center bump that is designed tofit within the well of the inner liner.

The aperture at the bottom of the candle holder allows the users todischarge the used candle after use without taking out the entire innerinners and separating the inner liner from the candle holder. In thepresent invention, the inner liner is not required to be removed whenreplacing the wax block. If the inner liner is removed with the waxblock, the inner liner may be difficult to reinsert, in particular, ifthe inner liner becomes deformed over time from exposure to the heat.

In a further aspect of the invention, the wax candle may include adesign wrap that is sized to wrap around the outer surface of the candleholder. The design warp can include various personal designs andpatterns. The design wrap may be affixed to the outer surface with asemi-permanent adhesive or have a removable slip-on design. The designwrap may also be placed between the inner liner and the candle holder.In this aspect of the invention, the candle holder can be manufacturedfrom a transparent or semi-transparent material to allow the design wrapto be viewed

In another aspect of the invention, the wax candle may include a lid.When the lid is included as an option, the lid can cover the candle whennot in use to protect the wax from the elements, defining a closedposition. The lid can include a ridge on the bottom surface to press fitagainst the ridge of the candle holder when in the closed position. Thelid ridge can also serve as stand when the lid is placed under thecandle holder, defining an open position. By placing the lid under thecandle holder, the heat from the candle is insulated from other surfacesto reduce the amount of heat transmitted to the surfaces and possibledamage that the candle may cause to the surfaces. The lid can alsoinclude a center protuberance that extends above the top surface of thelid. The center protuberance, when place under the candle holder, isdesigned to extend inside the aperture and provide a lower support forthe inner liner when in the open position. When the lid is place on topof the candle holder, the lid will act as a snuffer to put out theflame.

The candle is manufactured by placing wax chunks or shavings in acontainer or double boiler. The candle wax cannot be placed directly onthe heat or the wax will catch fire or evaporate. The wax is heateduntil completely melted. A thermometer may be used melt the wax atproper temperature. Paraffin wax should be melted at temperaturesbetween 122 and 140° F. (50 and 60° C.). Soy wax should be melted attemperatures between 170 and 180 degrees (76.6 and 82.2° C.). Beeswaxshould be melted at about a temperature of 145 degrees (62.7° C.) andshould not exceed 175 degrees (79.4° C.). The wax is placed in a mold toform a wax block that is designed to fit within the inner liner and tocreate a center bump that is designed to fit within the well of theinner liner.

A fragrance can be added to the melted wax. The fragrance can be anessential oil, combination of fragrances or other scent additive. Thefragrance is mixed with the wax until completely stirred in.

A color can also be added to the wax. The coloring should be anoil-based dye. Additional colors may be added to the melted wax toachieve the right consistency and to achieve a certain final desiredcolor.

A wick is placed in the center of the candle mold. The wick can beplaced in the center of the candle mold or at a desired location, ordesired locations if placing more than one wick in the candle. The wickshould be sized to extend above the top of the candle surface.

The mold is shaped to fit into the inner liner of the candle holder. Thewax is poured into the mold and cooled. The wax should be cooled forabout 24 hours for paraffin waxes. Soy wax generally takes about 4 to 5hours to cool and Beeswax candles generally takes about 6 hours to cool.Longer cooling times are better and generally help the candles set up.

The wax is removed from the mold and the wick is trimmed to anacceptable starting length for the candle wicks. The length of theinitial wick is sized to provide a proper burn of the flame when lit. Ifthe wick is too long, the flame may be too large and release black smokeor soot.

The candle holder, or jar, can be manufactured from glass, tin, ceramic,aluminum or other material that is known to withstand the heat of acandle. These and other reports can be generated depending on the needand information tracked as will be understood by one of ordinary skillin the art.

The present invention may be embodied in other specific forms withoutdeparting from its spirit or essential characteristics. The describedembodiments are to be considered in all respects only as illustrativeand not restrictive. The scope of the invention is, therefore, indicatedby the appended claims rather than by the foregoing description. Allchanges which come within the meaning and range of equivalency of theclaims are to be embraced within their scope.

What is claimed is:
 1. A wax candle, comprising: a candle holder havinga cylindrical shape and including an aperture, top and inside surfaceand base, the aperture extending through the entire thickness of thebase, the inside surface and base defining an inner space; a ridgeformed around the top surface and extending into the inner space of thecandle holder; and an inner liner disposed in the inner space below theridge and configured to tightly fit against the inside surface of thecandle holder, the inner liner including a nodule sized to fit withinthe aperture to define a button.